Logan Kade (Fallen Crest #5.5)(48)

“Is that what you think she is? Some piece of ass?” Nate’s voice was like gravel.

His response was quick, too quick to have been a random thought he threw out. I straightened in my seat and shared a look with my brother. That was it. That was what was eating Nate.

“Is that what you think? I’m not valuing her enough?”

Nate didn’t reply. He only jerked up a shoulder.

I was floored. “When have you ever cared about a girl I was seeing?”

“So, you are seeing her?” He threw me a side look.

“No—I don’t know. I don’t know. I just went over this. Maybe.” I looked from him to Mason, and spared Sam a glance in the back. She was lying down, so I could only see her feet. “I’ve never gotten so much grief about a girl. Sam got in my face the other day about her, too.”

“Look,” Nate started. “I don’t know what Sam said, but I’m just bringing it up because this girl is different.”

“Because she’s Mason’s coach’s daughter?”

“No.” He rolled his eyes, his jaw tightening again. “Because she’s not like other girls. She’s different. You had her programmed in your phone as Hot Girl before.”

“Nate.”

He added, “Now she’s programmed in as Firecracker. You have your own nickname for her, and it’s not like others. She’s not Girl from Grocery Store, or Call After 2, or even Could Be Stalker.”

“I don’t use girls. You’re making it sound like that.”

“No.” He shook his head. “You don’t, but you don’t smile when you text them, like you do when you’re texting her. Logan, I—”

I was growing tired of the questioning. “You better be real careful about where you go with this.”

“Loga—”

“Real. Careful.” My hand jerked, forming a fist on my leg.

Nate glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. He looked back to the road and sighed. His shoulders relaxed a bit. “I’m not trying to be a nosy pain in the ass, but this girl is hurting. And if I can see it, I know you can, too.”

“You think I’m going to hurt her more?”

“No. I’m wondering if you’re falling for her because she’s hurting.”

Huh? I cocked my head to the side. “Say again?”

“Oh, boy.” Nate adjusted his hold on the wheel and rolled his shoulders back. He looked in the rearview mirror at Mason for a moment. He spoke as his gaze returned forward. “You fall for girls that are hurting. Tate—”

I interrupted, “—wasn’t hurting.”

“Yeah, she was. She had that thing going on with her parents. She was hurting back then, and so was Kris.”

“Kris.” I frowned. She hadn’t acted like it, but he was right. She’d been messed up because of her parents, too. “Okay, I’ll give you Kris.”

“And…” Nate softened his voice. “Sam.”

Oh, f*ck. He went there. I shook my head. “There was a brief moment of attraction with Sam, but that was snuffed a long time ago.”

“You’re an * for bringing that up,” I said.

Mason was the giant elephant in the van at that moment. The whole question of Sam and me had been dealt with. It wasn’t a problem, yet Nate went there.

“I know.” Nate’s hands jerked on the wheel. “I’m sorry, but there’s a pattern. That’s my whole point. I’m worried that you’re going to fall for her because she fits some pattern for you, but your feelings won’t hold long-term. They didn’t with any of the others.”

The f*ck? “I dated Tate for two years, and I was with Kris for one.”

“But you didn’t love them. And this girl, I can see you thinking you’re in love. That’s the problem.”

“That I’m going to fall for her and date her? God forbid.”

Mason started laughing, and hearing it, I relaxed a little. The question of Sam and me had been dealt with two years ago. I didn’t want Nate to spark that back up, judging from Mason’s laugh, he seemed fine.

“No, I’m talking how you think you fall for them, start dating them, and realize later you don’t love them. You hurt Kris a lot.”

I rolled my eyes. “And Tate hurt me. It’s part of dating, Nate. I’m still figuring out why you’re being a nosy punk-ass bitch right now. Do you want to date her? Is that the real issue here?”

“No.” His voice was firm, and he reached up to press his eye before returning his hand to the steering wheel. “I’m just worried about you.”

“Then tell me what you’re really worried about. Stop dancing around the issue.”

“Okay. This is what I think is going to happen: You like this girl. I can tell, and yes, you’re whatever right now. You care for her. It’s obvious the sex is good, and I can see it going somewhere deeper. But I’m worried you’ll do what you’ve been doing. You’ll date her, thinking you love her, and then you won’t. You’ll get sick of her. I’m worried you’ll shatter this girl, and I’m worried that’ll make you even more jaded.” His tone softened. “I’m worried about you. It’s not really the girl.”